


Cas Dreams

by jessipalooza87



Series: The Dark Crystal: Whispers of Truth [1]
Category: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:53:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26114470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessipalooza87/pseuds/jessipalooza87
Summary: Thank you very much for reading my story! This is part of a series that I very much plan to continue, though I do not have a schedule for when I will be posting chapters. If you have any constructive criticism, please feel free to post it, as I am always looking to grow in my writing.
Series: The Dark Crystal: Whispers of Truth [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1896172
Kudos: 2





	Cas Dreams

The sky was a sea of stars, dwarfing the size of Thra into something minuscule. The twinkling lights of other planets, other beings, other places, glimmered and shined above. They admired their own reflections in a vast and empty ocean below that was as still and smooth as glass. There was not so much as a single ripple that disrupted that lovely sight, but that never occurred to Cas.

The Gelfling stood in the center of the ocean, yet only ankle-deep in the water. She became aware of the tickle at her ankles first, and then her reflection second. She would not dare to admit it to her parents, but she did like to admire her reflection when she was not busy with lessons or work. She liked her wild hair in all its auburn glory, struggling against the stray braids and the binds of a sash tied at the nape of her neck. She liked her striking lavender eyes and the glisten of what her mother called stardust along her cheek bones and the slope of her nose. She tried little with her appearance but was so proud of it nonetheless.

However, the reflection of the stars was more than enough to pull her attention away from herself. It was a miracle that she did not gasp. It was not the Silver Sea, and neither was it Cera-Na. It was not the Sifan Coast - she knew that for certain, for she knew her own home like the back of her hand. No, she was in unknown waters, and that thought thrilled her. It thrilled her almost as much as the realization that there was no land to be seen. Rather, the image of the stars stretched on for an eternity as the horizon met with the sky and reflection blurred with itself with reality.

It was breathtaking, and for once, Cas was rendered speechless. So she knew it was not her own voice, when she heard the words.

_Help me._

Cas pulled her attention down, but where could she even look? No matter which way she turned, there was nothing but sea and sky and star.

"Hello?" she asked aloud, and the question was the only thing that ripple throughout the space around her.

_Help me._

"Why?" she asked. Despite herself, she felt a small pang of guilt. She should have asked, 'Who are you?' or perhaps even, 'How?', but her first thought was always of _why_.

_I need help._

"Yeah? And how's that?" Cas asked. She stepped forward, as if that would help her see something that was otherwise invisible to her naked eye. For the first time, she wondered why the water did not ripple in her wake - neither before her, nor after her. "...Who are you?"

_I am you._

"Well, I very much doubt that. After all, if you're me, then who am I?"

_Help me._

"How? How am I supposed to help you? I don't even know who--"

_I am you. I need help. Help me._

Cas felt herself grow warm with frustration. She did not appreciate repetition. She did not like not knowing what was being asked of her. She did not like not knowing who was speaking to her. And slowly but surely, she was growing less excited about being in the unknown and more unsettled. She studied the seas, and even the rivers and lakes and swamps. She knew water and not knowing the water beneath her feet had her stomach start to pull in on itself. Beneath her layers of blues and greens and browns, her feather-light wings shivered.

_Help-_

"Who _are_ you?!"

_-me._

"Yeah, help you! I get it! But how?! And who are you?! _Where_ are you, for that matter?!"

Silence followed and Cas felt torn. She was glad that it might have been the end of the airy, disembodied whisper in her ear, but she had not received her answers, and worried that she would now never receive those answers. Seconds passed with each beat of her heart and the silence persisted. She turned once more, looking up to the stars, straight towards the horizon, and then down to the reflections. Naturally, her gaze drifted to her own reflection, and she felt her heart jump into her throat.

Her reflection turned of its own will and spoke with that airy voice directly in her ear.

_"HELP ME."_

\--With a jolt, Cas woke up to her mother's shouting outside of the small, wooden door. The words escaped her ears, however, as they were drowned out by the pounding and racing of her heart. She felt dizzy and sick, as though she was still surrounded by stars and not back in reality and back on Thra - the real Thra.

"D'you even hear me in there, girl?!" her mother shouted. "Or am I talkin' to myself?!"

Cas pressed her four-fingered hands to her face and groaned. "I'm awake! I'm awake! Sorry, mum, I'm awake! What did you say?"

"I said, 'help me'! Your father went down to the fish monger since he can't catch a fish himself! Told him we'd have this sail patched before he got back, but I had been _counting on my daughter's help_!"

Shaking her head, Cas turned her bleary gaze to the small porthole that served as her only window on their small ship. The sun was rising outside and the familiar cry of birds and splash of the sea grounded her.

 _It was just a dream_ , she told herself. _Relax._

"Well?!" her mother called again.

"Yeah! Yes! Yes, mum! I'll be out in a second! I love you!"

"I love you!" her mother shouted back, and already, her voice was drifting as she moved back through the ship. "Even if you sleep in!"

Ah, if there was anything that could ground Cas even quicker than the smell of the sea, it was her mother's loving nagging. She rolled her eyes upwards, but a smile played on her lips. Slipping out of her hammock, she unhooked one corner and folded it away. Her room - quarters - were small, and space was a luxury on a ship. With her hammock away, she was able to look at herself in the rust-speckled, full-length mirror. Fluffing her wild hair and tightening a few of the braids, she hesitated rather than immediately go for the door.

It was only a pause of a second, possibly two, but a pause nonetheless. It was not until Cas slipped out of her room that she realized she had been waiting for her reflection to speak.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading my story! This is part of a series that I very much plan to continue, though I do not have a schedule for when I will be posting chapters. If you have any constructive criticism, please feel free to post it, as I am always looking to grow in my writing.


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